My smart padlet by Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis

January 30th, 2023

ECCE 1101 Introduction to ECCE

Educational Opportunities

The two jobs I felt most drawn to are a drama teacher in the Cobb County school district and an outdoor nature based preschool teacher at Little Forest Preschool in metro Atlanta.

The drama position is part-time afterschool program on certain days depending on the school location and as needed basis. The salary for the drama position is part time with a rate of $35/Hr. As a drama teacher I would be teach and mentor to children ages 4-11 in the afternoon from 2-5 pm. The duties I find most enjoyable being a drama teacher would be to encourage children to take the stage, become better communicators, and enjoy what theater has to offer. Skills I have developed over the years for a position like this are being collaborative amongst parents in my outdoor fairy tale group. I wanted everyone to have a roll in their kids pretend play and feel confident in asking to take part in the class together. A skill I am trying to get better at is not over committing myself to so many projects. When I give myself too many projects, I create unnecessary stress leaving the projects to not be as well developed as I had hoped.

The second position is an outdoor school educator. They have a part-time and full-time position open Monday through Friday 8am- 2:45pm. The salary was between $35,000 – 45,000 per year. The students' age range is 5-10 years old. The school day is spent outdoors unless it is unsafe to play/learn due to heavy weather, then students will be brought inside a designated location for learning.

The school uses The Orton-Gillingham model. This model is not required to understand before taking the position. They will provide courses to take to learn the method while teaching.The group learning environments follow an environmental/earth, and social emotional curriculum that includes communication skills, meditation, positive self-talk and more. The love being outside. I find myself enjoying the children more when there is more space to roam, learn new skills and play. Skills I have for being in this program are meeting the child where they are at, creating wonder at an early age is so important especially amongst peers. An important skill/need is correct attire in a place of learning like nature. A quote my own family used when I was a kid. “it’s not bad weather, its bad clothes.” This phrase has gotten me and my kids out more and many precious memories have come from it. A skill I have trouble with and will be working on is lesson plans. I am used to working in the moment and scaffolding in the present vs having a lesson plan ready for learning.

Refrences :

Indeed. (2022). Job Search | Indeed. Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com/

Interview with Amber Myers B.A.

Employment: Sixes Elementary

Phone Number: (404) 263-6623

1. Describe your career path in early childhood education. What positions have you held? What are your current job duties?

*Before becoming an early childhood education teacher, I started my journey working at daycare center for many years during my later years of high school. From there, I went on to be an after-school program teacher in a local school. Over the summer I worked as a summer camp director with kids ages 5-12.
*My current job is within the county in which I grew up in. I am a second-grade teacher at a local school. My daily duties include teaching all subject areas to my class, assisting them through their daily schedule, promoting various ways of learning and ensuring their safety each day.

2. What do you think are the most important characteristics and dispositions that an early childhood teacher should have? Why are these so important?

*I feel the most important characteristics a teacher should have is a love for children but also the willingness to grow and learn. If you do not have a connection with children, than ultimately you are in the wrong field. Additionally, being able to grow and learn is very important. The expectations of teachers are constantly changing whether its at the county level, school level or grade level. Not being willing to make the appropriate/requested changes have a chance to affect your teaching position. The curriculum changes every few years in order to meet student needs and not being open to learning and making the change could potentially influence student success.

3. What role do collaboration and teamwork play in your job?

*Collaboration and teamwork are a MUST! Being able to work with a group of other teachers to create meaningful activities for the students that correlate with grade-level standards is highly important for student success.

4. Can you give an example of how professional ethics impact your work as an early childhood professional?

*Using professionalism in the way I communicate with faculty, staff, parents and students is important in my daily job. The other staff are able to respect me as a teammate and teacher because of my open responsible interaction.

5. What do you think are the most pressing issues facing early childhood education today?

*In my opinion, the biggest issue facing early childhood education is the expectations that are in place at each grade level. Some of the standards/expectations are just not appropriate for students of that age. This provides stress for the teachers as it is our job to help them master the standards, but it also provides stress for the students as they are just not developmentally ready.

6. What aspects of your job bring you the most satisfaction?

*I am the ESOL (English as Second Oral Language) teacher on my second-grade team. Knowing the students' background and their difficulties with the language barrier make their accomplishments very rewarding. Seeing students make growth throughout the year provides me with lots of satisfaction.

7. Which aspects of early childhood education do you find most challenging?

*The most challenging part of early childhood education can be the many expectations from my school at times. We are asked to attend many meetings each week, which allows for little time to plan during my planning time. Therefore, I am required to work late or bring work home with me in order to ensure my plans are meaningful for my students and that I am prepared for the next day.

8. What advice do you have for others who are just beginning their careers in early childhood.

*My advice would be to make sure it is really something you have a heart for. It is not easy by any means and takes time to get "in the groove." This job is very rewarding, but it requires the effort to be applied upfront.

Date January 30th, 2023

ECCE 1101 Introduction to ECCE

Ryan Davis

Self-Reflective Interview

What career goals do you have in the field of ECCE and how has the interview influenced your goals (if at all)

From what I read from my interviewee; the opportunities in my community. There are so many different options for teachers in the field now. I think trying out different teaching domains is important in deciding how and where you want to teach.

Which of the characteristics and disposition mentioned by the interviewee is the same as those discussed in the Teaching: a professional commitment chapter of your textbook? Which are different.

The interviewee brought up the importance of emotional framework. The idea of this is to create a safe space for children and adults to have all the feelings without judgement. Her definition of disposition had a lot to do with open and frequent communication designed in team teaching and collaboration is vital for growth and better curriculum.

Which of these qualities listed in the chapter do you possess? Give an example which illustrates how you demonstrate this characteristic.

Self-awareness is an important quality in teaching. The best way I can explain self-awareness is by taking time to self-reflect. There were many times I would get to work and write down the stress from that morning or week. This helped so many times especially when my kids were little, and toddlers were hard to get out the door. I found myself bringing that stress to work. Writing it down gave me an outlet. Thus, giving me the chance to be more available to my students.

Why is teamwork important in ECCE, according to your textbook? Did the interviews answer questions about teamwork similar or different to what is discussed in the textbook?

Yes, teamwork is incredibly important in ECCE. The way it was explained in my interview was a lot like team teaching. She had a good point about being intentional, organized, and plans in place with fellow teachers to have the best curriculum ready for the students.

Which positions in early childhood education interest you the most? Why

A Family therapist/parent educator: I wish there were more supports like this in the community. I do not think one person on the staff for a whole school is fair. I think there should be more outlets for parents to come together in a safe space to express their worries, concerns, and struggles.

A children’s photographer – Kids do not have poker faces like adults do. I like capturing kids in their element of discovery like catching a salamander at the creek or scoring a basket at a basketball practice. Children are so honest. The way they express joy, fear, sadness, and tiredness is a skill I hope to create.

How does the code of professional ethics help early childhood educators?

-This is a base/outline support system in place to handle different/tricky situations that teachers are confronted within the school and caregivers of the students outside the classroom. It protects teachers and gives more tools to make tough decisions with guidance and support for children, families, colleagues, community and society.

What concerns or worries you the most about becoming an early childhood professional?

The biggest worry I have right now is the number of students per teacher. I have always noticed children work better in smaller groups.
I think more steps have been taken for our youngest learners ages 0-3 have been given more thought into the power of play. I think the older age groups of 5-8 are not given enough individual support for emotional growth in school and at home because the pressures of curriculum are not balanced enough yet.

Refrence :

Gordon, A., & Browne, K. (2016). Beginning essentials in early childhood education. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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